how the f*ck does shrimp still have his job?

Long-timers will recollect that I (incorrectly) predicted his downfall
almost 4 years ago to roughly this date.
He might possibly be the WORST CEO in history.

http://www.automobilemag.com/toc/0504_toc /
Autotmobile magazine does not put the article on the web, but the
teaser is there. Basically, somehow, Mercedes is the most respected
brand in Germany despite being just about the least reliable.
(Losing the Luster).
And then there is Consumer Reports. What a complete and total
embarrassment. HUMMER makes better quality vehicles. The best rating
(besides "new") is the C class which rates as "worse than average".
Every single other vehicle rates as "Much worse than average".
A greedy, ignorant, selfish oaf ruining one of the greatest brands
(not just automotive) in the entire world.
I wish I could sit next to him on a plane just to completely plastered
and throw up all over him.
I wouldn't shower or use deoderant of cologne before sitting next to
him either.
A nice workout at the gym first, yes, so I would be very sweaty and
thirsty.....

This morning's UK Financial Times carries the an article with the CR
results. Bread-and-butter E-Class is bottom. Even if one may debate the
merits of how the conclusion is reached, it still needs an effort to make
such a bad impression....
Fortunately my own 2001 W208 CLK Cab has, so far, given me relatively
trouble-free motoring. There have been some niggles, nothing more. Even
today I had mine in to see why the rear headrests (also acting as a rollover
bar) were stuck in the up position. Fortunately they required only a reset.
Technician time was over an hour, though I was charged only 0.9 h. On top
of that I received a 20% discount on the standard labour rate.
(The conclusion was that I may have jolted the head rests when going over a
speed bump.)
DAS
For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling

CR data comes from the feedback of its own subscribers/members. Being one
of them, I have filled out many of their surveys. For each car you own,
they ask you a series of questions regarding about a dozen or so different
"problem areas". The answer is either a yes or a no as to whether you have
experienced a "serious problem" in that area. The problem is that what one
member might consider a serious problem, another may consider just a minor
annoyance. Not only that, owners of $30K Toyotas might be less inclined to
consider minor problems such as a rattle in the dash as "serious", but to
the owner of a $60K MBZ, the expectation might be that no such noise should
ever exist and therefore it is very serious.

This seems wrong. Although you might think you have better taste then
a toyota owner, this is not proof of you being "pickier" about quality.
Excuses or explanations won't fix anything, the proof is in the
pudding as they say.
Toyota builds the highest quality vehicles in the world. This has been
proven year after year, model after model. They aren't perfect, but
they are always pursuing perfection.
Mercedes could learn a lot from Toyota, as all car manufacturers could.
This is not to say that Toyota cars are "better" in every respect. Hardly.
Marty

Having been both a Toyota and MBZ owner, I can say that I was less picky
about minor "issues" with my Toyotas than with my MBZ's. I expected a
little more wind and road noise from my Toyotas, but if I had what I
believed to be "excessive" noise from the MB, it went in the shop for
diagnosis. Of course to put this back into context of the original
statement I was addressing specifically the Consumer Reports ratings, *I*
would not consider noises to be a "serious problem" warranting a "ding" on
my CR surveys, but I know may people that would.
The same is true for other issues. If I but a Toyota with a transmission
that shifts a little "abruptly", I might just believe that's part of the
cars characteristics. If I buy an MB and I can tell it;s shifting at all,
it goes in the shop because I would not expect that from such a
well-engineered expensive vehicle.

And the "proof" is that MBZ has never made vehicles with high "initial
quality ratings". They have always made vehicles that use cutting-edge
technology and a high level of sophistication that often requires
adjustments early in its life. They do, however, make some vehicles that
are incredibly durable with a history of long-term reliability.

Trust me, I have nothing against Toyota and agree that they make excellent
cars. I have owned numerous models over the years and have rarely been
disappointed. However, they are not making vehicles that are designed to
last a long time. They build them strictly to win initial quality awards
and if they are still on the road after 100K miles or 10 or 15 years, they
are likely being used as "basic transportation". MBZ, on the other hand,
makes vehicles that can last 100K and longer, yet still provide the same
level of comfort, safety, and integrity as they did when new.

One reason why Toyota is so successful is that they never use the latest
technology. They wait until other manufacturers have knocked the bugs out
before they incorporate it into their models. Luckily for them, technology
is moving very quickly so the technology in their later models is only a few
years old.

Toyota did not invent nor perfect hybrid technology. All they did is figure
out how to make it cheap enough to bring to the masses. I'm not saying its
a bad thing, but its a totally different strategy than MBZ.

I might be regarded as a "target group member" for Mercedes. I bought my
first MB
in 1984 (a 77 240D, 120+K miles) and promptly joined MBCA of which I've been
a
member ever since. I've owned seven Mercedes since then including a 80
300SD,
84 300SD, 87 300TD, 98 SL500, and (currently) a 95 E320 wagon, 2001 E320
wagon
and 2002 SL500.
Since the 95 E320 I've seen a perceptable decline in overall quality with
their cars, much
to my dismay. I got my 2001 E320 wagon from a local dealer last April with
remaining
factory warranty plus Starmark warranty. I literally drove the car off the
lot with a major
defect. It had a clunk in the rear suspension which I thought might be a
loose jack or spare
tire. I took it into another MB dealer 5 days later and they diagnosed a
defective hydro-pneumatic
suspension system. They kept the car for 5 days and had to have the parts
flown in from
Germany. It cost over $1500 in parts + labor to repair, fortunately under
warranty. This
allegedly a "Starmark certified" car!. I wrote a personal letter to the
General Manager of the
dealership where I bought the car as I consider delivery of a Starmark car
with a major defect
to be unacceptable. He had a junior salesman call me and leave a message on
my answering
machine with no further contact. So much for "customer satisfaction".
The metal body panels on my 210-series car are not as rigid as my two
previous 124-series cars (noticeable flex in the roof with minimal
pressure), the headliner in
the car is cheap moleskin-type material, etc. Daimler Chrysler has obviously
taken a new
tack in their philosophy. They're designing the cars to last longer than the
warranty period,
rather than to last a generation or more like the old 123 and 126-series
cars.
Sadly, unless their fit/finish, quality control and long term reliability
improve drastically, I think
my next vehicle will likely be a Lexus LS430. When they loose dedicated fans
like myself,
they've got a problem........

That's where I fall. I have an 85 500SEL (grey import) and a 95 E320
wagon. I really lust after the new GST/R-class whatever (the 6-seater
upmarket M-class).
There is no way in hell I would buy it. I keep cars :
1985 Merc 500SEL (with 70,000 miles!)
1990 Accord (156,000 miles)
1995 E320 (99,950 miles)
1997 Camry (103,000 miles)
I give the 500SEL the benefit of the doubt, but the E320 has cost more
than the Accord and Camry combined! I mean, that basically means that
the service on the 156,000 mile Accord has been for free.
And the quality is declining?
I have a fantastic dealer. The service department is efficient,
timely, honest, and reliable.
But the cars SUCK.
There is no doubt the E320 is the best driving car. Yes, I am a
little more nit-picking. But no where near enough to justify what it
has cost.

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